House of Welf

The House of Welf was a German dynasty that included many monarchs from Germany and Great Britain, as well as Bavaria, Saxony, Spoleto, Tuscany, the Palatinate, Holy Roman Empire, Brunswick-Luneburg, Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel, Hanover, Russia, and India. The dynasty originated from the House of Este, and it had influence across Europe; a faction of politics in Italy became known as the "Guelphs", as they (like the House of Welf) were opposed to the Hohenstaufen family and its attempts to challenge Papal rule.